12 Best Runs By WWE Stars In OTHER Companies
11. Gran Metalik - CMLL
It all started so well. Gran Metalik made it all the way to the final of the inaugural WWE Cruiserweight Classic, falling at the final hurdle to an inspired TJ Perkins. A disappointment, of course, but Metalik impressed everyone in the tournament, defeating Zack Sabre Jr., Akira Tozawa and Tajiri en route to the championship decider. When WWE made the decision to sign many of the cruiserweights ahead of the debut of 205 Live, picking up Metalik was a no-brainer.
That was the end of that. Metalik has been an afterthought's afterthought ever since, a non-entity on 205 Live and now spinning his wheels in the Lucha House Party. At no point has WWE shown that it has any idea what to do with a supremely talented luchador, other than putting him in an aimless trio with other luchadores.
WWE isn't alone in poorly booking the man. Formerly known as Mascara Dorada, Metalik signed with NJPW back in 2014 after years of special appearances. He was immediately thrust into a feud with then-Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega, coming up short in a title challenge. That was that for Dorada in NJPW, save for a brief feud with BUSHI over the CMLL World Welterweight Championship.
Truth be told, CMLL is the only promotion that seems to have had a clue when it came to booking the man we know today as Gran Metalik. After making his debut as Plata II, Metalik went on to become Mascara Dorada and the titles followed. CMLL has somewhere in the region of three million active championships, but Dorada was popular enough to find himself adorned with four belts at one time, back in 2010. He was the first-ever quadruple champion in the promotion's long and storied history.